The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Bellingrath Hall

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Bellingrath Hall (ca. 1950s), Huntingdon College

Bellingrath Hall (ca. 2004), Huntingdon College

Institution Name: Huntingdon College
Original/Historic Place Name: Bellingrath Hall
Location on Campus: 1500 E. Fairview Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1928	opened in December 1929 Lockwood, Frank

Designer: Frank Lockwood (Montgomery, AL)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Gothic revival, Other (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: brick and cement

Walls: brick

Roof: slate

Function:

1928-present (2006)

academic department building (science; at different times, has held art and home economics)

Narrative:
Bellingrath Hall was the first major building at Huntingdon devoted almost exclusively to educational functions. In the 1920s, it became evident that in order to earn membership in the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools of the Southern Association, Woman's College would have to expand and upgrade its facilities in several areas; one of these was the science department, which would need to be moved from Flowers Hall to a suitable structure. Noted Montgomery architect Frank Lockwood designed the building in a style compatible with Flowers Hall, the dormitories, and the Miriam Jackson Home. Bellingrath opened in December, 1928 and continues to serve the various scientific branches.

Bellingrath is a 3-story, 1 by 5 bay, T-shaped brick building with a complex gabled roof clad in slate. The main bay of the front façade is a slightly projecting, steeply gabled bay delineated by quoins. The recessed front entrance comprises paneled wooden doors with multi-light windows and a multi-light, Gothic arched tympanum. At the present time, there are plans for a restoration of the current building, and the addition of a new wing.

References:

Ellison, Rhoda Coleman. History of Huntingdon College: 1854-1954. Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1954.

Enzweiler, Susan, and Trina Binkley. Huntingdon College Campus Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 2000.

Memorandum to Melanie Betz from Anne Henderson, November 30, 1992. Montgomery, AL: Alabama Historical Commission.

Olmsted, Frederick Law, Jr. Report on Methodist College for Women, Montgomery, Ala. [Brookline, MA: Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects], 1908.